South Africans travelling abroad to be tracked by Home Affairs

Following the approval of the department’s white paper regarding migration on 31 March, South Africans travelling abroad will be compelled to register with government in order for the Department of Home Affairs to track citizens travelling abroad for more than three months, according to BusinessTech.

The site reported that, among other reasons, this is an effort by the department to curb emigration rates and identify South Africans travelling abroad as an increasing number of skilled workers leave the country.

News24 has also reported that “the white paper, which has a strong focus on attracting more skilled migrants to counter the brain drain, also announces a special dispensation for migrants from the Southern African Development Community, with the focus on giving visas to skilled migrants, traders and small- and medium-sized business-owners.”

The white paper also included details on how the department plans to mitigate the increasing number of immigrants from neighbouring countries.

On 17-18 March 2017, the then Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, at a two-day National International Migration Conference hosted by the department – which now has Prof Hlengiwe Mkhize at the helm – identified the development of an international migration policy as a key priority for the ministry.